Solar power: photovoltaics The journey from photons to electrons

Introduction Solar power is obtained mainly by the use of solar cells. The photovoltaic (PV) effect is the basic physical process through which a PV cell converts sunlight into electricity. Photovoltaics, as the word implies (photo = light, voltaic = electricity), convert sunlight directly into electricity. It is one of the forms of solar cells, in which light falling on a two-layer semi-conductor device produces a photo voltage or potential difference between the layers. This voltage is …

…and help to reduce the endless extractions of natural resources such as coal to do the work. Biblography http://www.nrel.gov/research/pv/docs/pvpaper.html http://www.howstuffworks.com/solar-cell.htm http://www.eren.doe.gov/pv/pvmenu.cgi?site=pv&idx=1&body=aboutpv.html http://acre.murdoch.edu.au/refiles/pv/text.html McClory Paul, Alternative Energy, Wayland, Pgs 21-25, England, 1980 CSIRO, Research for Australia 2, Energy, Pgs 64-65, CSIRO, Victoria, 2000